Mavis Mail – Heather Sends in Her Backyard Garden Photos

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in their photographs and stories. I hope by sharing other peoples pictures and stories here on One Hundred Dollars a Month we can all have a rock star garden this summer. Keep them coming!

Check out these garden photos Heather sent in. I love the hanging herbs she has hanging from the white lattice and the tomato plants in the 5 gallon buckets.

Here is what Heather had to say about her garden:

This is only our second year gardening at this house and our fourth year gardening ever, with one of those years at another house being very unsuccessful. We have a family of 6 with me, my husband, 2 boys (8 & 6) and 2 girls (5 & 3) and are fortunate to have a little less than an acre just outside of city limits where there are no restrictions on animals or gardens.

We currently have 25 young chickens and 4 white pekin ducks, plus our coop in progress. The chickens are staying in a temporary enclosure under the coop at night.

We had chickens years ago but had to sell them when we moved to a rental. Now we are starting over with the hopes of having eggs by the fall. We have a few more birds than we need because we have several friends and neighbors already lined up to buy from us. Our mini-farm, as we like to think of it, is a work in progress and is growing every year.

Next year we are planning to add a couple of small dairy goats, as well. I also have a greenhouse already planned out when we have the money to build it.

Our large garden has corn (4 weeks between plantings), tomatoes, okra, peppers, green beans, sugar snap peas that have died due to heat, squash, cucumbers, an open row or two for late veggies, more peppers, and potatoes that didn’t do as well.

The smaller garden has sunflowers, watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew.

Raised bed with bricks has thriving strawberries, borage, and an elephant ear coming up in the middle.

Also not pictured, we have a mini orchard with 3 apple trees, 2 plum trees, and a cherry tree; beds bordering the house with very young blueberries and raspberries; 2 grape vines; 2 cherry bushes along the driveway; a pecan tree in the backyard; a Meyer lemon tree; and herbs in various planters around the yard and house. All fruit trees and plants are young and were only put in this year and last.

Wow Heather! Everything looks great. I wish I could grow oddles of corn in my backyard. Your garden is awesome!

~Mavis

Lindsey from Texas Sends in Cinder Block Garden Photos

If you would like to have your garden, chicken coop or something you’ve made featured on One Hundred Dollars a Month, here’s what I’m looking for:

• Your Garden Pictures and Tips – I’d especially like to see your garden set ups, growing areas, and know if you are starting seeds indoors this year. If so,  show me some picture of how you are going about it.
• Your Chicken and Chicken Related Stories – Coops, Chicks, Hen’s, Roosters, Eggs, you name it. If it clucks, send us some pictures to share with the world.
• Cool Arts & Crafts – Made from your very own hands with detailed {and well photographed} pictures and instructions.
• Your pictures and stories about your pets. The more pictures and details the better.
• Garage Sale, Thrift Store and Dumpster Diving pictures and the stories behind the treasures you found including how much you paid for them.

If I feature your pictures and the stories behind them on One Hundred Dollars a Month, I will send you a $20.00 gift card to the greatest store in the world: Amazon.com.

Go  HERE for the official rules.